PORT Act, Road Workers Protection Act among Maryland bills signed into law

BALTIMORE -- Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed six bills into law on Tuesday, including the PORT Act and the Maryland Road Workers Protection Act.

Sine Die came after the legislative session was extended by 10 days due to the lack of a budget deal.   

"Our system endures because of you, but make no mistake, in this moment, our system was tested," Moore said.

Two weeks after the Francis Scott Key Bridge was struck by a cargo ship and collapsed, killing six construction workers, Moore signed the PORT Act into law, which allows the governor to use up to $275 million from the state's rainy day fund to offset wage losses for those impacted by the closure and reduced operations at the Port of Baltimore.  

It also establishes a permanent scholarship program for families of transportation workers who died on the job.

"The PORT Act is part of a broader effort to uplift the hardworking people of the state of Maryland and provide them with the support they deserve," Moore said.

Moore also signed into law the Maryland Road Worker Protection Act, which expands the use of speed cameras in work zones and raises the penalty for traffic violations in work zones.

"Last March, Marylanders stood with broken hearts from the work zone crash on I-695 in which six highway workers' lives tragically ended in a moment," Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller said.

On March 22, 2023, six road workers died when a car going more than 100 mph crashed into a work zone on I-695 in Baltimore County.

Miller chaired a work zone safety work group after the crash that resulted in this legislation.

"It's a moral imperative that we protect road workers who provide critical service, public service for all of us," Miller said.

Both bills passed with bipartisan support.

"When things matter, when things are tough, we may have different ideas, but we get around a table, we hash them out and we get the work done on behalf of Marylanders," Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson said.

Since the PORT Act is emergency legislation, it went into effect the moment Moore signed it into law.

Moore also signed four other pieces of legislation. 

The Protecting Election Officials Act addresses the epidemic of threats and harassment targeting election officials that pose a fundamental threat to Maryland's ability to conduct free and fair elections. The law creates a new misdemeanor charge in the Election Law Article for threats against election officials or their families.

The Caring for Public Employees in Safety Professions (CAPES) Act, expands workers compensation presumptions for firefighters to cover thyroid, colon, and ovarian cancers.

The Families Serve Act supports Maryland's military families by expanding job opportunities for military spouses. The law requires that spouses of members of any branch of the uniformed services receive a 10 point credit to selection tests when applying for State jobs, and authorizes private employers to grant hiring and promotion preferences to spouses of a full-time active-duty member of any branch of the uniformed services.

The Time to Serve Act increases the amount of disaster service leave for executive branch employees from 15 to 30 days. In addition, state employees who serve in the National Guard and military reserves may use up to 30 paid leave days for training or service duty, increased from 15 leave days.

 Two of the bills passed were in honor of murdered Baltimore tech CEO Pava LaPere.

LaPere's parents went down to the Capitol multiple times to testify in support. Their message was that they don't want what happened at her Mount Vernon apartment building to happen to any other family.

In the fall, LaPere was found murdered at her Mount Vernon apartment building. 

The suspect, Jason Billingsley, was out early from prison on a sexual assault conviction because of diminution credits, also known as "good time" credits. The Pava Marie LaPere Act bars violent sex offenders from getting those credits. 

The Pava LaPere Legacy of Innovation Act was also passed, which provides start-up grants to student entrepreneurs. The FastForward U Innovation Hub at Johns Hopkins University was rededicated to LaPere over the weekend.

Another bill that passed this session is the Maryland Kids Code bill, which aims to prevent online platforms from collecting children's data to keep them on certain apps longer.

Lawmakers also finalized the deal for the state taking control of Pimlico Race Course. State bonds of $400 million will be used to redevelop the race track. 

When this work begins, the Preakness Stakes will move to Laurel Park temporarily.

Read the complete list of bills signed into law on April 9, 2024 here.